The Portland daily press., 1887-01-24
PITCHED FROM A PREcIPIcE.
Mrs. TownsIey, of Chicago, Falls
Four Hundred Feet
And Goes out of Sight In a Large,
Soft Snow Drift.
When Dug out She Is a Little out of
Breath, but unhurt.

CHICAGO. Jan. 23.-Mrs. T, j. Townsley,
the Chicago lady who was the occupant Of
stage coach that toppled over a preeipice and
fell down Independence Pass, in Colorado.
last month, arrived in this city yesterday
Mrs. Townsley did not sustain so much as a
scratch. She is prepossessing and about 25
years old. Describing the marvellous Incl
dent, the details of which have not before
been printed, she says;
AT daybreak, on the morning Of Dec. 10th
was awakened at my hotel in Leadyille and
informed that the Aspen stage coach was
waiting for me. 1t was bitter cold and was
showing so densely that the driver had to
pilot me to the coach. / had on heavy,
double fold velvet dress, a sealskin sacque
and buffalo robe pinned over my shoulders.
Ny head was covered by fur cap, and my
face enyeloped in a shawl, allowing an aper-
ture for my eyes only. Despite all this pro-
lection was frightfully cold. The coach
was drawn by six horses, and was on wheels
We were preceded by the Granite coach,
which was on runners. The read over Elk
Mountain is natural one, tkat viii admit Of
but single coach passing. At the apex Of
the mountain the Granite coach pulled into
station, blasted out of the rock, and allowed
us to go ahead. Here the descent began.
The road at this point runs at an incline of
40 degrees. The driver put ON his lock-chain
to the. wheels, thus virtually converting
them into runners. The vehicle, despite
these precautions, and by its own weight,
went down at frightful pace. We could
barely keep our seats, but balanced our
selves as best we could. Running up from
the truck and through the box of the coach
was perpendicular bar of steel, called the
king-pin. | clung to this and managed to
keep myself right side up. Down the mar
row path on the side of the mountain we
went, with the horses ON mad gall0p to
keep the coach from running them down.
We were rounding Independence Pass, when
suddenly the driver cried, Jump! Jump for
He had been holding the coach as near the
embankment as the narrow pass would per-
NIT, when ahead of him he saw heavy
boulder topple and fall down the mountain
side and into the path. This caused hlm TO
make the cry Of warning The obstruction
was but twenty yards ahead of him, and 1t
was beyond human power to stay the impe-
tus which the coach had attained in coming
DOWN the incline. l saw the driver leap.
Insh1e we held on to the king-pin, and down
we went,- s.s in another instant the forward
wheels struck the rock. The hind part of
the coach was thrown forward and outward,
and the king-pin snapped asunder nKc-a
reed. The box, with all in it, went over the
precipice on its SIDE, and through the VIM
dow fell out. Less fortunate than myself,
creyice ON the side of the precipice, some 1S0
feet below the road. / was thrown out with
such force that / cleared this crag, and kept
on and down full 400 feet, to the bed Of the
canon, and into bank of snow, cutting my
way into it head first, as if it had been wa
ter. THE Granite coach, just to the rear of us
pulled into niche in the rock, and the driv-
er and some prospectors got out and climbed
down to where / had lodged. Armed with
shovels, they began to dig me out, and, it is
curious to relate, the one flesh wound / re-
ceived was from the blade Of shovel which
plowed a furrow in my ankle when they
reached me. | was finally dug out, uncon-
scious and to all appearances dead. Restora-
tiyes were administered and was taken up
and carried to the toll house, at tbe head Of
the cliff Here my hands and limbs were
rubbed and my face slapped until my cheeks
were raw, but all to no avail. Twas black in
the face, and there was no audible or visible
respiration. | was left in care of the toll
keeper and the Granite coach passengers,
while the two drivers started for Aspen, Is
miles distant, to summon surgical aid. One
of the party returned at midnight with
doctor. In the meantime / had revived, and
had, in company with the toll-keeper, gone
down in a sleigh to dinner at station three
miles below, and was administering to the
wounded and dying. All of the rest had
sustained frightful injuries in their fall of
1870 feet.